Hope Victorious

  The parable of the good shepherd is one of my favorite passages for building faith that we can hear God’s voice. Recently as I was teaching from this passage, I gained this new perspective: I think faith was required of Jesus as well!   Jesus told this parable, found in John 10, to demonstrate the nature of relationship between Himself and people. He used the relationship between sheep and their shepherd as an analogy because this was common and familiar to His listeners. Jesus clarifies that the shepherd in this parable is “good” and He states clearly in verse 11, that He is the good shepherd in the parable.   In the beginning of the parable (verses 1-5) Jesus is talking about how there is a good shepherd, but also strangers who would not enter by the gate and the sheep will not follow the voice of the stranger. In verse 6 we see some of John’s commentary.   He says that the people weren’t understanding what Jesus was saying. So, Jesus seems to start again in ve...

  W O N D E R   I wonder IF I wonder WHEN HOW?           I wonder how… WHY?           Does it even matter? I WONDER I am learning more from asking - Than from any answer I am hearing I am a student of WONDER           Possibility                Desire                     Hope                          Awe                                  I let my mind go… I    W O N D E R       Memory   I remember The feeling of you What your eyes said when you looked at me The warmth of your hand The music of your laughter   I remember how solid and sure I was of the love that connected us Gran...

  One of my strengths is making connections between passages of scripture and creating applications from the themes that connect them. This is one example of this that has been so real in my life recently. In this writing I look briefly at 3 interactions of Jesus with people:  Jesus cleansing 10 lepers, the father of the demon-possessed boy interacting with Jesus, and the conversation Jesus had with His disciples about the “rich young ruler”. I’m pulling a common thread through these 3 and applying that theme to how we can respond to Jesus. Gratitude Luke 17:11-19 There were 10 lepers, who, when they saw Jesus, cried out to Him for mercy. Jesus saw them and instructed them to go and show themselves to the priests. The text says in verse 14, that “as they were going, they were cleansed.”. In the following verse it says that one of the men returned to Jesus when he realized that he was healed. He came and fell down before Jesus to thank and praise Him. This was Jesus’ respon...

A seed is full of potential The mature plant and future harvest Hides within the darkness of a seed Compact – Microscopic – Dynamic – Waiting – Holding – Tightly Closed – Storehouse of promise and future fruitfulness Growth Potential   But growth is conditional The terms must be met Specific conditions supplied Moisture and darkness for root eruption Light and moisture for the sprout Growth has its demands Light – Water – Nutrients – The more it grows – The more it needs The small quiet seed has become increasingly demanding A seedling noisy with hunger Growth takes time Maturity is a process With needs and ideals   Fruitfulness is the reward of growth Harvest is the great victory won by the seed It is the assurance of legacy For fruit bears seeds Future Potential As so the cycle perpetuates   A new generation of seeds Potential – Promise – Hunger –   Demand –   When conditions are met –   ...